Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's public statements have come back to haunt him, laying the groundwork for his impeachment motion.
At least 291 MPs have signed a motion calling for the removal of the country's second-in-command.
The motion, tabled by Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Mutuse, not only alleges corruption but also dwells on the DP's behaviour and public utterances that could now end his budding political career. The Maendeleo Chap Chap (MCC) legislator revisited Mr Gachagua's public statements, which he said discriminated against a section of Kenyans.
"...Article 73 (1) (a) and (2) (b) of the Constitution define the responsibilities of leadership. They provide that the authority vested in a public officer (such as the Deputy President) is a public trust to be exercised in a manner that is consistent with the object and purpose of the Constitution, demonstrates respect for the people, brings honour to the nation and dignity to the office, and promotes public confidence in the integrity of the office," reads part of the motion.
The lawmaker also cited Article 27 (4), which he said prohibits all forms of discrimination, including based on ethnic or social origin, conscience, belief, language, and birth.
"However, His Excellency Rigathi Gachagua has at various times over the last two years persistently made statements threatening to discriminate, exclude, and unlawfully deny sections of the people of Kenya and regions of the Republic of Kenya equal opportunities in public appointments, and the allocation of public resources," the notice of motion reads.
Mr Mutuse further alleges that the DP's statements are highly inflammatory, inciting, and seriously undermine national unity, and the peaceful co-existence of Kenya's diverse communities.
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The MP goes on to quote Mr Gachagua's statements on various dates.
"Sometime in 2023, at a public forum in Kajiado County within the Republic of Kenya, His Excellency Rigathi Gachagua made highly inflammatory and incendiary public statements to the effect that the Government of Kenya is a corporation, and that the allocation of government development projects and public sector jobs is based on 'shares' determined by how the population of the various ethnic communities voted in the 2022 General Elections."
Mr Mutuse also states in his notice of motion that sometime last month, during a public rally in Nairobi, the DP made public statements that incited other communities against the ethnic communities living around the Mt Kenya region.
"The statements made by His Excellency Rigathi Gachagua over the past two years undermine the promotion of national unity in the context of the multi-ethnic demography, and multicultural diversity of Kenyan society.
"Furthermore, they have the potential to alienate, isolate, and create disharmony among the various ethnic communities in Kenya," the notice says.
Mr Mutuse argues in his notice of motion that the DP's statements constitute impeachable offences in that they grossly contravene Articles 10 (2) (a), (b), and (c); 27 (4),
73 (1) (a) and (2) (b); 75 (1) (c) and 129 (2) of the Constitution and Article 147 (1) read with Article 131 (2) (c) and (d) of the Constitution.
The DP's utterances over the past two years, says the Kibwezi West MP, are "inconsistent with the high calling and dignified status of the office of the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya".
He says the statements are capable of "inciting ethnic hatred and promoting ethnic balkanisation of the Republic of Kenya".
Armed with various video clips to prove his allegations against Mr Gachagua, the MP accused the DP of falsely alluding to "a non-existent government policy to discriminate and marginalise the people of the regions and tribes that did not vote for the current government in the 2022 general elections".
